Advertising display device



March 24,1925. I

- y 'w. .11. @Rooms ADVERTISING DISLAY DEVICE lFiled April 19:; 1924 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR,

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ww mw wrrNEssEs ATTORNEY March 24, 1925.

' w. J. GRCJOMS lADVERTISING DISPLAY DEVICE Filed April 19, 1924 2 Smets-sheet a WITNESSEB ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 24,- 1925.

UNITED STATES frA'rlaN-r LoFi-fics.

' i wILtrA-M .Tosnrn @licensor xNoXvILmE, Tennessee.

l ADVEBTISIN'G'DISEPLAY DEVIGE.

Application led April 19, lilfcflg.k ,Serial No. 707,681?.

Beit known that I, NVILLIAM 1Josrrn- Gnooius, a `citizen of the United States, re-` siding .at- Knoxville in the county `of' Knox and State of Tennessee,have invented'a new 'and useful Advertising Display Device, of

which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an inlgproved` means for" displaying various kadvert'ising matter from an automobile, -or other lvehicle, as it' moves alongthe stneet.

The object `oi' my invention is to provide a ,dev-ice in the nature of an endless apron, continuously driven from the running gear of. the vehicle ask the latter is driven, and adapted to carry advertising cards lor placards, which are constantly changing as the vehicle moves along, and more kparticularly to provide improved means for supporting` the endless apr-on and attaching .the display cards lthereto in such a manner that they `travel with the belt without any Vchance of their being torn or displaced but may be easily removed and replaced by other cards if desired. Y i ,y v

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain detailsof constructicn and combinations ci elements, whichwill be more panticularly described in connection with the accompanying ldra-wings illustrating the invention in itsgp-re- `zterred form.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is. a side elevation of a motor vehicle equipped with .my invention,A part of the vehicle bodybeing broken away to better illustrate .the construction. y

Figure 2 Vis a plan view of the same with parts` shown Iin section. i Figure 8 is a fragmentary .side `elevation of the display device, attached.

Figure 4 4isa detail sectional viewshowing the .means for attaching )the cards "or l placards. l y

Figure 5 is a detail sectional viewfshowing ,the leather spacing strips. v y

kFigure Bris .a detail view `in elevation voi' the means Ifor `supporting the endless apron. Figure 7 is a detail sectional viewon the line 7-7 of Figure. l

The invention is .illustrated as installed onza motor `vehicle 1Q,.havinga :body 11 ofy the type `used for .delivery purposes, and 1in'- cluding a Hoor 12 and atop 13. `Cross bars 14 .and 15 are secured across .the upper part `ofthe body and supporte@ .by jspitable posts 1,6 .and 17, respectively, of the vbody frame. Seriesof vertical rollers 18 are journaled Vfor rotation near the .front and rear ends of the body in suitable bearings in .the floor 12, and cross bars 15 vand 14, respectively. Each of these rollers is provided at its .upper end with teeth. forming asprocket wheel: 19, yover which runs an endless sprocket chain 2O;

rlhis sprocket ychain is so arranged that it passes over y,the ourcorner sprocket wheels,

- and thence to 4andffro successivelyy about .the

sprocket wheels of `the front and rearinterior rollers, as shown 1n .Figure 2. The two rear corner rollersare located Somewhat rearwardly oi the rear interior .rollers so that fthe rear 1 flight of the chain will clear` of the lapron, as indicated inFiguresb'and'f.

The face .of the apron 21, which yis outer# most as the apron passes around the sides and rear ,end of the vehicle body, :isdivided into rectangular spaces of suitabledimen.- sions by `vertical clamping .strips 23 `which cooperate with corresponding backing strips y24, and are secured thereto by means of smally bolts 25 to clamp the yedges-of the .cards `er placards `26, whichaniaybearany kind ,of advertising .matter of a lirm Vor individual, who pays for the space.

tect the same against being torn, and .to guide the same properly as they pass over the rollers. The cards are further protectedl against Contact with `the rollers rby leather ystrips 27, which are secured Hto opposite Vtacesof the apron 21 above and below `the cards by means of suitable rivets 28 orzthe like. The advertising spaces may also be divided longitudinally of the apron and spaced from the rollers by oneornioreinter- Amediate pairs .of strips 27,. These leather spacingstrips ,27..notonly servekto ,protect The strips .23., Aunderneath which the side A edges of the cards are clamped,` serve to prof.

vided for driving the apron 21.

the upper and lower edges of the cards againstfbeing torn, but are particularly desirable in protecting the printed faces of the cards which A; i.1'einside as they pass overl certain of the interior rollers.

Any suitable train of gearingmay be pro'- By Way of example, I have illustrated one of the rear interior rollers as provided at its lower end With ya beveled gear 29 in mesh with a beveled pinionSO secured to the rea-rend of a longitudinalshaft*31, which is provided-,at its yforward end with a gear 32, driven from astub shaft 33 suitably journaled in the under part of the body 11, and provided with a beveled gear 34 driven from a beveled gear 35 secured to the rear axle, or one of the rear 'Wheels of the vehicle. Any number of the rollers 18 may be thus driven, but it is ordinarily sufficient to provide one such connection, and the other rollers are driven by `means of the sprocket chain 20. The rear ratio is preferably` such that the apron 2l Will be driven slowly, so that spectators will have ample time-to read the advertising matter on the cards.

From the foregoing description, it Will be understood that as the vehicle is driven ,along the street, the apron21 will be continuously driven, and the various cards Will successively appear, each in its turn. vThe strips 23, underneath which theside edges of the cards are secured,'and the leather spacing strips 27 will serve as an efficient protection against injuring or soiling the cards. Contracts may be entered inte with various firms or individuals for displaying cards with advertisements for a limited period, and thecards may be readily replaced by others ywhen the contract expires,

simply by loosening'the strips 23 by Which they are secured.

While I have shown and described in con'- siderable detail the various features 'of the invention, it Will be understood that these are merely for the purpose of illustrating one form in which the invention may be embodied, and that various modifications may be made therein Without sacrificing any of the salient features of the invention. It is therefore my intention to include all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims n Y That is claimed is:

l. In an advertising display device, the

combination with'a Wheeled vehicle and a series of vertical rollers rotatably carried thereby, one of said rollers being driven b-y the running gear of the vehicle, of an endless apron trained aboutl said rollers, an

endless sprocket chain having links provided With clamping means for securing the upper edge of said apron to support the same, said rollers 'being formed at .their upper ends With sprocket Wheels over which lposed face of the apron, and means secured to opposite faces ofthe apron to prevent contact of the cards With the rollers.

2. In an ,advertising display device, the

combination With a Wheeled vehicle and a series ofvertical. rollers rotatably carried thereby, said rollers being operativelylcon-y nected to each other-and one of them operatively connected to therunning gear of the vehicle, of an endless apron mounted to travel about Vthe respective rollers, a series of clamping strips dividing the exposed face of the apron into a plurality of advertising spaces, backing strips cooperating with the clamping strips to removably clamp the opposite edges of a series of advertising cards, so as to hold and protect the same as they travel abouty the rollers, and flexible card protecting means secured on said apron.

3. In an advertising display device,ythe combination with a. Wheeled vehicle of a series of rollers rotatably carried thereby, an endless apron carried by said rollers and operatively connecting the same to each other, one of said rollers having a driving connection with the running gear of the vehicle, means for securing a series of advertising cards to the exposed face of said apron, and longitudinal flexible strips secured to opposite faces of the apron above and below the cards and serving to hold the faces of the cards out of contact 'With'the rollers as they pass thereover.

4. In an advertising display device, the combination with a Wheeled vehicle and a series of rollersrotatably carried thereby, one of said rollers being operatively connected to the running gear of the vehicle, of an endless apron trained about said rollers, said rollers being formed at their vuper ends with sprocket Wheels, an rendless sprocket chain connecting said sprocket Wheels and having links provided with' vclamping means for securing the upper edge of the apron to support the same, a series of vertical clamping strips dividing the exposedl face of the apron vinto a pluralityof advertising spaces, and

backing stripscooperating with the clamping strips to removably clamp lopposite edges of a series of advertising cards, vvhere by to support and protect the same as .they pass over the rollers.

5. In an vadvertising display device, the combination with a Wheeled vehicle and a series of rollers rotatably carried thereby, one of said rollers being operatively connected to the running gear of the vehicle, of means operatively connecting thel rollers to each other and including an endless apron traveling about said rollers, certain of. said rollers being on one side of the apron and certain of the rollers being on the other side thereof, means for securing a seriesl of advertising iso cards to the exposed face of the apron, and longitudinal flexible strips secured to opposite faces of the apron above and below the cards and serving to hold the faces of the cards out of contact with the rollers as they pass thereover.

6. In an advertising display device, the combination with a Wheeled vehicle and a series of vertical rollers rotatably carried thereby, one of said rollers being driven by the running gear of the vehicle, of means operatively connecting the rollers to each other, including an endless apron trained back and forth about saidrollers, a series of clamping strips dividing the exposed face of the apron into a plurality of advertising spaces, backing strips cooperating with the clamping strips to removably clamp the opposite edges of the advertisingcards to support and protect the saine, and longitudinal flexible strips secured to opposite faces of the apron above and below the cards and serving to hold their faces out of contact with the rollers as they pass thereover.

7. In an advertising display device, the combination With a Wheeled vehicle and a series of lrollers rotatably carried thereby, onevof said rollers being driven by the running gear of the vehicle, said rollers being formed at their upper ends With sprocket Wheels, of an endless sprocket chain passingy over said sprocket Wheels and operatively connecting the rollers to each other, certain links of said. sprocket chain having clamping means, an endless apron trained yabout said rollers and having its upper edge secured in said clamping means, a series of vertical clamping strips dividing the exposed faces of the apron into a `plurality of advertising spaces, backing strips cooperating with the clamping strips to removably clamp opposite edges of a series of advertising cards to support and protect the same, and longitudinal leather strips secured to opposite faces of the apron above and below the cards and serving to hold the faces of` the cards out of contact with the rollers yas they pass thereover.

8. In an advertising display device, a series of rollers rotatably mounted on a supporting member,`an endless apron trained about said rollers and operatively connecting the same to each other, means for securing a series of advertising cards to the exposed face of the apron, and iexible strips secured to the apron above and below the cards and servingv to hold the faces of the cards out of contact With the rollers.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto a'fixed my signature.

WILLIAM JOSEPH GROOMS. 

